Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday laughed off an A.I.-generated video that President Trump shared on social media, saying the president was “joking” when he posted a meme of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, with a fake mustache and a sombrero.
Mr. Jeffries has said the video was racist and bigoted. Asked for his response to that, Mr. Vance said, “I don’t even know what that means.”
Speaking at a White House press briefing, Mr. Vance characterized the post as making light of lawmakers’ policy differences. The video, which was posted on Monday and falsely accuses Democrats of trying to give free health care to undocumented immigrants, depicts Mr. Jeffries, who is Black, as Mexican, with mariachi music playing in the background.
“Oh, I think it’s funny,” Mr. Vance said. “The president’s joking, and we’re having a good time.”
“You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions, and even poking some fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves,” Mr. Vance added.
He asserted that Americans understood that Mr. Jeffries did not actually come to the White House wearing a sombrero and a “black curly animation mustache.”
“We’re all trying to do a very important job for the American people,” Mr. Vance said. “The president of the United States likes to have a little bit of fun when he’s doing it. And I think that’s OK.”
The day after Mr. Trump posted the video, Mr. Jeffries condemned it as racist and challenged Mr. Trump to insult him in person the next time the leaders met face to face.
“Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake A.I. video,” Mr. Jeffries said on Tuesday during remarks at the Capitol. “When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”
The White House tweeted the clip of his remarks, with the comment “Oh no! Hakeem is BIG MAD!” and laughing emojis.
Mr. Trump, who has often hurled racist attacks against his political opponents, has taunted Mr. Jeffries and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, as they negotiated to avert a government shutdown. He posted several photos of them in his office with a red “Trump 2028” hat on his desk.
On Tuesday evening, as it became clear the government was barreling toward a shutdown, Mr. Trump posted another video of Mr. Jeffries with a fake mustache and sombrero.
That video featured a television interview of Mr. Jeffries during which he condemned the original meme as “disgusting.” As Mr. Jeffries went on to assert that “bigotry will get you nowhere,” an A.I.-generated mariachi band, all of whose members had Mr. Trump’s face, appeared and played music over his words.
Mr. Vance joked that there was one way to make the memes stop.
“I mean, I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop,” Mr. Vance said. “And I’ve talked to the president of the United States about that.”
Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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